Exam #3 Flashcards
differentiation
When heavier elements such as iron would fall towards the center, while lighter elements would float on top in the Earth’s core
inner core
Solid, intensely hot, very high pressure
outer core
Liquid, hot, high pressure
asthenosphere
Hot, semi-viscous, malleable rock
lithosphere
Cool, hard surface of the Earth
convergent boundary
When two plates come together (collide)
ocean-ocean boundary
Convergent; when subducting plate carries tons of organic, carbon-based material under the other plate, which is released through fissures in the topmost plate when the rock heats up, erupting as a volcano
ocean-continent boundary
Convergent; when an oceanic plate subducts under a continental plate, makes a similar situation to the ocean-ocean collision: Organic material is carried down and contributes to volcanism on the continent
continent-continent boundary
Collision of plates with no ocean nearby; forms mountains (is still happening with the Himalayans, India colliding with Asia), non-volcanic
divergent boundary
occurs when two plates are being pushed apart; happens because of convection of the Earth’s central regions
transform boundary
water cycle: main reservoirs
ocean, ice caps, glaciers, aquifers
aquifers
exist in layers of water permeable rock beneath the Earth’s surface, takes centuries to form
water cycle: transfer mechanisms
sublimation, evaporation, precipitation, run off/movement in streams
sublimation
the process by which a solid becomes a vapor without passing through the liquid phase (this is what makes dry ice useful for Halloween effects)
precipitation
When water vapor condenses into rain, snow, and other forms in the weather
rock cycle: reservoirs
Igneous rocks, extrusive rocks, intrusive rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks
igneous rocks
Formed when molten material (magma) from the Earth’s interior hardens
extrusive rocks
form on the surface after being ejected due to volcanism, cool very quickly (examples: Basalt, obsidian, andesite, pumice)
intrusive rocks
form on the interior of the Earth, cool very slowly (diorite, gabbro, granite)
sedimentary rocks
form under water as layers of material settle on top of each other (examples: sandstone, shale)
metamorphic rocks
formed when sedimentary rock is exposed to extreme heat and pressure, taking on a new structure and becoming this rock type (examples: gneiss, quartzite, phyllite, marble)
rock cycle: transfer mechanisms
volcanic eruptions, erosions, subduction, deposition
subduction
the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth’s crust into the mantle beneath another plate
deposition
the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice
organism
the term for an individual example of a life form
population
The total amount of organisms living in a certain area
community
The collective populations, that is, the living organisms
ecosystem
A community plus the nonliving elements in its surroundings
biome
Several different ecosystems in a similar climate region
Biosphere
The total of all biomes on the Earth make up
